Are We There Yet?
Oh, my, the joys of motoring
With children in the back! Reserves of patience are required That normally we lack!
even if I wanted to.”
“I’ve a better idea.” An older woman in a cleaner’s tabard bearing the hospital logo had been hovering.
“I’m just finishing my shift – I’ll sit here and keep an eye on the lot of them while you sort out your little boy.”
Kit opened his mouth to protest at being called “little”, but I shushed him, thanked the woman, and followed a nursing assistant along the corridor.
****
When Ray had said “any flavour, any size,” the kids took him at his word.
We were sitting in the little Italian place with the huge windows overlooking the sea, all three children uncharacteristically quiet as they ate.
“Your kids are a credit to you,” Ray said.
“That’s not the impression you gave me yesterday at the beach,” I said honestly.
“Yes. I’m sorry about that.”
“I got the feeling you thought we were going to ruin your holiday, just by being there.”
“I can see how it seemed, but there’s a bit of history involved,” Ray said.
“Oh?” I replied.
“I won’t bore you with it.” “It wouldn’t be boring. I’m incredibly nosy.”
“If I believed that, I wouldn’t tell you. But since you’re interested: I was a stepfather, for three years.
“Two girls of nine and ten and a little boy, not much older than Sophie, when I first met him,” Ray began.
“I’d never had kids of my own, so it was all new.
“But I did my best to tread carefully at the start, and then, once they’d accepted me, I threw myself into it whole-heartedly.”
“How was that? Was their dad still around?”
“Their father was Australian, and he’d gone back to Oz when the relationship broke down.
“So there was very little to stop me being almost like a real dad to Mattie, Alice and Freddie.
“We did Christmas with the big tree, Easter egg hunts in spring, and in summer we’d come somewhere like this, spend all day on the beach, hit the fun-fair in the evenings.”
“Sounds idyllic. But you’re going to tell me something went wrong.”
“Charlotte and Geoff started Skyping each other, rediscovered their lost love, and decided to put the family back together. On the other side of the world.
“I asked where I would fit into the children’s lives in that scenario. Charlotte said I wouldn’t.
“She thought it would confuse them if I still played a part. She demanded a clean break.
“I saw a solicitor, but she looked at the situation – a nuclear family restored – and told me as kindly as she could not to waste my money.” Ray sighed.
“How cruel. Of Charlotte and Geoff, I mean – after all that you’d contributed. After you’d grown close to the kids.”
“I thought so. And now it’s been almost a year, but it’s the first time I’ve gone on holiday on my own.
“And, probably not unexpectedly, I found the proximity of a super-happy, thriving family rather painful.
“No excuse for my horrible behaviour, but there you go.”
“You looked at us and saw a super-happy, thriving family?” I gasped. “Let me tell you my story.”
****
The week that followed wasn’t what any of us had expected.
Kit’s leg wasn’t broken, but he had damaged ligaments and had to rest it for the remainder of the holiday.
Ray found him a little table-top football game in town, set it up for him and devoted hours to challenging him on it.
He lay on our big rug on the grass in the paddock and read to Sophie and Jodie, or else cooked dinner while I did.
Kit even allowed Ray to carry him down the path to the beach, and we all sat on the sand and let the waves wash over our legs.
On our last night, as I kissed Jodie goodnight, she whispered to me.
“Can we keep him?” I didn’t need to enquire whom she meant.
****
“Is this goodbye?” Ray asked, as we sat out on the rug, and clinked glasses.
“I see you’re willing to drink my warm wine now,” I said, side-stepping the question.
“You just ignored me when I offered it on that first night.”
“I wasn’t aware you had offered.”
“You were just over there, on your deckchair, with your precious book!”
“Ah! I was still being insufferable, wearing earplugs to escape the sounds of merry children, at that point.”
“That would explain it. Are you frightened – of getting involved again? I know I am.”
“Terrified. I don’t think I could bear to lose a second family.”
“But we’re not like our exes, are we?”
“We deserve to make it work, this time.”
“And we can take things as slowly as we want.”
****
Back at Parents and Toddlers, I found Sonia and Hannah at the hatch, dunking biscuits in their coffee.
“Emma!” They practically pounced on me. “How was the holiday?”
“It was good,” I said. “Actually, it was great!”
“Meet anyone?” Sonia asked.
“Might have,” I admitted. To my surprise, the two women turned to each other and exchanged a gleeful high five.
“Made for each other – I knew it,” Sonia said.
“Er, why do I get the feeling I’ve been set up?”
But I wasn’t sorry. Not one bit.
The End.